first aid duty for the npcc parade over the past couple of weekends at home team academy, with lotsa experiences and new lessons learnt. there you go. (:

this week's news... once more, FIVE new ERPs are up and running since monday. WTF!? no surprise stephen sold his bike. its only a matter of time before some start appearing right in front of our doors. by then, its time to switch to bicycle.

purchased a nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6 if-ed vr from john 3:16 at sim lim square about a week ago but never had the time to test out its fullest capability until last weekend on sunday at the zoo. though the weather forecast predicted heavy rain with thunder, thankfully it didn't turn out exactly so, except for a little drizzle which was still eh-okay! compared a few models before actually having decided on the above lens, including tamron's range of zoom lens and the latest 70-300mm selling at an awesome $370 only which was super attractive! however its results weren't exactly to the liking after a number of test trying. shots taken beyond 200mm were really soft. not to mention it seriously needed some vibration reduction to go along with that amount of zoom. yeah, the nikkor 55-200mm was definitely a great buy. im way impressed with the quality of its captures considering with the tight budget of mine. in conclusion, its worth a recommendation to you out there as a 2nd zoom lens to own. :)

(check out the buggy capsule! :) )

congrats to all on their promotions and commissioning this evening! of which, also the food was great. haha. mann, another year in the rcy... thats 11 years since primary school!

photos taken by chong yingsheng - thanks sir! :)

to the brithday girl of yesterday!

p.s. the white board states, 'today is my 15th birthday. i want all of you to sing me a birthday song now! :D'

the awesome sun and sky in the morning was hard to resist not to be heading out and doing some shooting. hence, made my way to arab street after sending mom to the hospital for her heart checkup.

sadly, the rain came in the afternoon and plans had to seize. thankfully, mom's medical condition is perfectly fine and well. thank God!

today marks the 3rd anniversary of pope john paul II's passing away. its been three years, yet there was never a moment you left our hearts and minds, along with your teachings and examples of true love, servanthood and humility for all of God's flock on earth. forever an inspiration and role-model will you be to me, and i'd never forget your words. you are greatly missed and forever loved by us all.

"Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid to welcome Christ and to accept His power over you! Open, open wide the doors for Christ! He alone has the words of eternal life". Pope John Paul II.

we love you papa! pray for us! :)

waking up early on saturday morning to do some shooting at the rcy arts fest was definitely worth the effort and sacrifice of weekend sleep. in the end, it was pleasing to have a number of well taken shots considering it being one of my first few occassions shooting under low lighting and fast shutter speeds. though i wasn't able to stay through the cadets segment, the morning with the links was sure entertaining, not to mention cute!

click on collage to enlarge or here to view complete album

once again, cinemas in singapore are raising their ticket prices, now up to $10.50 for their weekend screenings. @#$%^&*!, i wouldn't be surprised if it continues to increase even further in time to come. c'mon loh, im sure that isn't the only solution to the claims of higher costs in film rentals right? implementations like that are only encouraging more people to turn to piracy. what a rip off. it was only a couple of years back that ticket prices were $7 and the empress threatre at clementi was only $5 on weekdays...rocks (everyday also can watch). looks like i'll be catching my movies on rented dvds and over the internet from now onwards.

speaking of that, it wasn't too long ago that a taxi fare from school to home would cost around $9. now, its $16 and thats off peak. like wtf? so much for top country to live in.

the hard earned savings and 'stinching' finally paid off. at last, got my imac today! was hoping for the 24 inch 2.4ghz, but it being way too expensive, settling down on the 20 inch would be good enough. after some time of sourcing around sim lim and bargining, got a decent deal that included 3gb more ram, totaling to 4gb. but crazy, need so much meh? so instead, accepted the additional 2gb + ms office mac with a little topping up, which was a pretty good buy i thought. lesson learnt, the apple online store isn't the best place to order apple products.

whoohoo. so for now, its goodbye windows, hello mac!

a faith-filled week it had been with much long lasting memories and meaningful reflections that will surely remain for a long time. palm sunday, RCIA on wednesday, holy thursday mass, good friday's stations of the cross, easter vigil saturday and easter celebrations on sunday. whoo! overwhelming mann. but no doubt was it an enjoyable and warmth week spent with friends and loved ones as we embraced, fasted and reflected upon christ's passion and ressurection. worth it wasn't it. :) easter vigil mass on saturday at holy cross was way awesommeeee. for whose of you who came, you must agree that the choir rocked hard! haha. well done mark! two months of hard practice paid off. and thanks to alycia, pamela, yuan hao, meixia, melissa and all of chanel's friends for being part of the joy with us that night.

also, congratulations to andew, marcus, ximin and chanel for joining the big family! and not forgetting friends over at christ the king and st mary's rciy. as well as joanne and ambrose for becoming godparents!

so, just some photos to sum it up.

click on collage to enlarge or here to view complete album

just some random black and white shots taken today to share. :)


raffles infront of victoria theatre

state flag above supreme court

clock tower of victoria concert hall

corridors of the supreme court

along old parliament house

Dear Friends,

On behalf of Chanel, Ximin and Ambrose, it gives me great delight to invite you to come share the joy with us this Easter Vigil night as we celebrate Chanel's and Ximin's receipt of the sacrament of Baptism, together with Ambrose who has by His grace, accepted the duty of being Chanel's godfather.

date: 22nd march 2008, saturday
venue: church of the holy cross, 450 clementi ave 1
time: 7.00pm to 9.00pm (easter vigil mass so sure long mah)

Lets keep them in our prayers as we observe this holy week leading to good Friday and Easter.

God bless!

thank you to all who came for last evening's nco trainees & seniors bbq gathering! for those who didn't turn up, tsktsk disappointing lah. though it rained a litle, well executed wet weather contingency plan dontcha think, haha! well, hope everyone enjoyed as much as i did. Unfortunately, memory card in the camera got corrupted and hence all photos went deleted. Sorry! :(

as you would have noticed, it has been raining like crap almost everyday for the past week, only having me to get home each day drench and freezing my ass off, not to mention, my helmet stinks. taking the bike out feels more like riding a jet ski around town with all the flooding everywhere. still, thank god for the safe journeys lah eh.

ok, learnt something new in photography class last evening. ever wondered what .JPEG means in photo files? well, it stands for 'Join Photography Experts' Group'! hah! like WTF?! just food for thought lah. ;)

shagged to the core, but it must have been a memorable leadership training camp over the weekend for all who attended. being an nco of the unit has certainly been the best days of secondary school life. from planning programmes to tekan everyone, to f***ing the juniors with hidayat and gang... whoo, those were the days mann. hah! but then again, the memories would not have been so pretty if it wasn't for the peers especially sarah and poh huat whos sacrifice and efforts have no doubt contributed tremendously to the unit. its all of those life's little lessons and experiences you pick up and hold valuable from being an nco that probably has kept me motivated in returning to the unit all these years to share all i've gained and benefited from what the unit had to offer.

ah, and before i forget, a BIG thank you to all who have been helping out all these while in the course and of course, camp. much appreciated! :)

courtesy of wenfang's blog :)

checked out the it show at suntec with austin today. as usual, nothing fantasic and exactly discounted enough to become a need to buy. the crowd was crazy enough to prove singaporeans indeed have nothing else better to do on a thursday afternoon then be part of the caught up kia su-ness. in the end, i got myself a WD 160gb portable hard disk for only s$129. far from a killer deal but alright lah, i desperately need one for all the soon-to-be overwhelming photos all over the place currently.

so, its off to camp tomorrow and not forgetting the release of a level results. all the best yall! :)

dammit, its the 4th time im redoing an upcoming camp proposal with yet another different venue, due to the recent terror fugitive MSK on the loose. With the possibility of being anywhere and everywhere, practically any where in singapore isn't declared safe.

i dont usually give a crap about such thigns, but now that its affecting my plans and time that can be better well spent, i am so going to beat the shit out of him if chanced upon. but then again, escaping from internal affairs toilet, moving around with a limp, staying undetected from the entire army and police force for over a week. whoo, this is one well trained terrorist mann!

nonetheless, this should help us all;

congratulations joseph for receiving the sacrament of baptism today at church of the holy cross!

click here to view complete album

im 400 bucks poorer but a proud owner of a nikon SB 600 speedlight with wireless tech. rocks.

whoohoo! finally, exams are over. though i don't know how things would fare (really bad perhaps), i am hoping for the best. for now, its gonna be more shooting, gyming, movies, socialising and anything else that rocks!

ok, so this was really heart breaking at first. but then, it took me a while to realise it could just be the filter thats broken and not the lens. and true enough its only the filter. thank god!!

fdcomp, it came and it went just like every other. but like every other, theres always something unique and special about each team that makes you keep wanting to come back for more scoldings and tekan. at the end of it, we all gain much of life's lessons, new friendships forged and a little more of our boundaries broken, that ultimately makes each of us a strong being.

It didn't better if we had lost or won. cause at the end of the day, we've all emerged as better team mates and players than yesterday. and for that, i am proud of each of you. Congratulations! :)

start of exams, fdcomp, rite of election... mann, what an 'exciting' week ahead. if only it didnt have to come all at the same time.

damn, i was really looking forward to attend the world youth day this year held at sydney. unfortunately school had to screw my plans up with its ever-inefficient ways of doing things, hence now, i don't get to go. sighh.... what a big pity. just gotta wait for the next one in 3 years time :(

check it out, http://www.wyd2008.org/.

cny is here finally. other than looking forward to catching up with the 'long lost' relatives and collecting as many angbaos as i can =D, sadly, it isn't much of a holiday or festive season for many of us now struggling our brains out for exams to be held just after cny :(. how much more sadistic can school get! so, it was the usual SOP of the lim clan from each morning to night yet again. maybe it was slightly different this time cause now i can drive! muahaha. yeah, a couple of midnight movies, catching up with friends, drinks, card games that winnings from can now supply me enough petrol for the next two weeks, sweet!

well, fun's over and now back to the books. sigh.

but still, gong xi fa cai yall! muack!

check out this baby, the new macbook air. my first impression: 'omg, damn! i am so getting this!' unfortunately after much consideration, it seems like it might end up more as a disadvantage than the opposite. no optical drive, no disc drive, no sd card reader, only one usb port, built-in battery... just to list a few. hmm, still a long way to the ultimate toy lah eh.

nonetheless a visit to the apple store yesterday to test out the new imac with leopard mac os X was worth the while. whoo!, its one hell of an impressive machine i tell ya. probably with a little more cash to spare in due time, its gonna be bye to windows and hello apple for me!

once again, the NUSCSS 'hearts on fire' youth rally is back this year with the theme, "i am with you always, until the end of time."( matthew 28:20). incase some of you haven't read the latest issue of catholic news ;)

details are as follows;

date:
3 feb 08, sunday
venue:
cjc performing arts centre
time:
6:15pm (mass at 5pm)

gracing the event will include his grace, archbishop nicholas chia, fr simon pereira, and fr valerian cheong.

seatings are on a first-come-first serve basis, so do come early, and if possible, invite a non-catholic friend along too!

See you there!

courtesy of the NUS Catholic Student Society

reminder peeps!

the np blood donation drive will be held tomorrow till 1 feb friday. details as posted on my previous post. do come down and support!

cheers :)

somehow, someway, suharto's passing away this morning made quite a bit of impact on me. maybe because it was news close to home, or perhaps more likely, it was his weeks long hopeful struggle for survive as broadcasted daily over the weeks, having only ended in his departure that reminded me of blenhiem 4 years ago, right there in that very same position. its rare times like these we witness the fighting spirit of a human that clearly results from the way one has lived his/her life, being so instilled that even when the brain dies, the body continues to fight.

its a tragedy that we often only realise how much some one/thing means to us when we're about to lose it or when its already gone. i'm guilty of that, no doubt.

you are not forgotten blen, rest in peace.

hear ye! the rchn chapter of ngee ann poly will once again be holding its blood donation drive. details are as follows;

dates: 30 jan - 1 feb
venue: block 16 - ex NTUC childcare centre
time: 11am - 6.30pm daily

Open to all students, staff and outsiders.

this time round, a challenge shield will be awarded to the faculty with the highest number of collected blood packs. so play your part and save some lives!

for more details and to attain a consent form for those under 18, please refer to http://rchn-np-blooddrives.blogspot.com/

Do spread the word. Thanks! (:

it was back to fairfield today for cca orientation for the 3rd year since graduation from there. lol im getting old quick... not much has changed for the performance from the unit there since years back, but i hafta give the performers a thumbs up for the deserving efforts and showmanship, not forgetting the sec2s who assisted at the booth. hence well done you all! to keep it short, it was an evening of pleasant surprises that had its share of disappointments too. nonetheless, im fully confident that the unit will see more recruits this time through the efforts from all who helped out today :) also, im glad fdcomp training has resumed with a full squad finally. with the help from gb, fion, ruth and the others, im positively looking forward to the upcoming trainings and eventual results with much hope and excitment.

all the taekwondo training is causing aches and all round fatigue as the club trains hard for IVP. fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, i've decided not to take part this time round. maybe the next perhaps. sorry guys, just not ready for the commitment yet. on the other hand, grading was last weekend and thankfully it went smooth, resulting in a pass, while chanel received doubles! (:

with three major projects due next week and in the following, this has gotta be one of the worst ways to kick off a new year. having had all the parties, feasting, travelling and slacking, indeed is it hard to get back to the books and projects and to rush your butts off them. im not having a good feeling about it all. probably due to past experiences of being played out at the last minute by certain group members and being left alone to chiong through the night with only hours remaining to the submission deadline. its because of that i think i've developed a serious phobia for last minute work, which at all cost i would now avoid. well im trying hard to focus and get back on track, but there's still a significant part of me that feels insecure and shaken, not knowing if my work for the projects are heading in the right direction. in times like these i turn to God and search for the guidance and peace he promised us, a peace which the soul may fully embrace, but not one that world may understand.

new year's day, yet another time to pen out a list of resolutions. before that happens, a thank you to all who joined in the dinner, celebrations and countdown last night! whoo, it has been a while since we had that much fun as we caught up, opened a bottle of chivas, played, and not forgetting screamed our lungs out across the neighbourhood at the stroke of midnight only to receive returned wishes. i appreciate all of your coming, especially johnathan and alina, thank you. haha. i hope you enjoyed the farewell dinner prepared for you yuan hao. do take care of youself when you've enlisted! we will miss you :)

as for 2008, it shall be a year of hardwork and a strive for good results, and all good things that go along with it.

wishing you all out there a prosperous and blessed new year!

my wallet got stolen yesterday due to what else but my carelessness. what's much worst was that in it contained the ang bao money being christmas gifts from relatives, which i was on my way to the bank to have it deposited. now, theres nothing left to deposit :( sigh, guess i only have myself to blame. calling the various banks, clubs, etc to report the lost cards was such a hassle.

surprisingly, this morning a cabby called my house and informed me that he found my stolen wallet. probably he got my number from the details written behind a check in it. Surposedly some asshole stole my wallet, took the cash and left my wallet in this cab. what i lost in boon lay was found in bishan. crap. oh well, at least i saved the 100 bucks of having to make a new ic. and its always nice to know we do have some honest and nice cabbys around in singapore, other than the petty theives.

returned from KL last night. we managed to make it back to singapore just minutes before the stroke of christmas. a rush down to holy cross for midnight mass was worth the effort, as we met up with friends and family to share the joy and excitement of the much awaited midnight mass. unfortunately we were too tired to carry on with the partying for the night, hence had them abandoned and retreated home to get some sleep. the days in korea and kl was awesome. the weather, culture, food, places to see and shoot in korea were astonishing, while we did more visiting, shopping, eating, and eating, and yes eating, in kl. with the year end sales and good conversion rates, shopping has never been better. though i am so not one bit of a shopaholic, i had my share of fun. i thank God for the enjoyable and safe trip that he had bless us with and for the wellbeing of family members and friends overseas. right now, i guess i'd like to spend the remaining christmas season more with my family here, in pursuit of a more meaningful one.

wishing all of you a holy and happy christmas! :)

p.s. do check out the photos uploaded on the photo album :)

the last test paper for the term was done for today. thank goodness! its about time i seriously needed a break so badly. human resource management paper today was such a crappy one. practically 90% of its content was out of the textbook and yet required case study approach. though im happy that its all over, im really hoping for the best. spent the day with a few of the sec 1 juniors. caught alvin and the chipmunks which perhaps wasn't that bad lah? i was glad for the opportunity we had to get to know one another better and have fun :) however, what really sucked was me having to spend 18 bucks just on parking and erp entries today alone. what a piss off. parking at bugis and cairnhill for only 4 and 3 hours respectively cost me a total of close to 13 bucks, while erp entries in and out of town, and to east coast at the end of the day totalled to 5, swallowing up all thats remaining of my cashcard. damn, the next time i head to town, i'm never gonna take the car again.

but on a brighter note, my overseas holidays begin tomorrow. heh heh. bye everyone, see you on christmas! :)

life has been rather dull these days. basically mugging away and nothing else. even red cross activities have taken a stand still. have stopped gyming for awhile since i've fallen ill and been trying to recover, hence putting on an obvious load of weight, as julia would easily notice. pretty worried about the upcoming common tests, as i've noticed everyone mugging their butts off. once again, its when the going gets tough, that the tough gets going! nonetheless, the trip to kl and korea has been pushed way forward. will be leaving for kl the day after my last paper, and flying from there two days later. woohoo, thats something to look forward to for now. :)

common tests

the first advent candle has been lit, marking the four weeks of preparation into christmas. unfortunately, it also means it is time to mug hard for common test week thats around the corner. for various reasons, the stress level has built up greater than before. probably due to the classes' positive peer pressure, and the considerations of having to do well to get into a good local uni with the good grades im hoping for. there it goes again, life's very own expectations. perhaps its time i begin seeking God's plans for me instead of mine alone.

on a brighter note, my trip to korea with my bro, cousin and chanel has been confirmed, whoohoo! though reluctant to miss christmas, not forgetting the turkey and ham here at home, i guess its probably now or never (much later lah) for an overseas trip. its been a while since i last had tomato juice on a plane. hoping that i'll be able to find a church there to attend christmas midnight mass - in korean most likely? :)

holy cross

church of the holy cross just received her new crucifix thats entirely made of glass and a backdrop of stained glass depicting the five decades of the luminous mystery. there's also a piece of the actual wood of the cross that once hung Jesus, now put up for the faithful for veneration.

Simply beautiful.

rcy challenge

back from the rcychallenge camp finally. it was a fulfilling experience for sure, having been able to catch up with everyone i've not meet for some time especially those who went into hiding to mug for a levels. well, congrats its over! (: glad to see yuan hao again before he enlists early next year. im sure everyone had a great deal of fun, both instructors and campers, apart from the super low overhead planes landing every five mins beginning at 4am! how to sleep like that?! still, i had my share in running more than 12 soccer matches at ubin. thanks to everyone 'stucked' there with me who made it enjoyable and the hours of scouring heat pass so fast. rocks! probably the camp did hold true to its motto, 'challenge oneself to achieve' as seen in all its programmes.

well for now, its immediately back to school. having miss one day due to the camp already worries me. hmm thats surprising. i wonder why. exams are only around the corner. guess for now its my turn to mug. seriously.

all shots taken with a 6110 navigator

vroom vroom

Haha, the police are using the same bike as mine! Heard from the supplier that they bought up all the stocks in Singapore and there are none left now til next year, hah.

aother TGIF

TGIF! And what better way to celebrate that chilling at your favourite night spot with the best of friends. Unfortunately, the usual buds weren't able to make it. But still, the party had to go on... with En Shao and myself, haha. Chilled at HollandV's Wala Wala. Soccer, live bands, music, front row seats, jugs of beer... whoo, it was a long time since we had such a good time. Turning eighteen has never been better haha! However the cost and drinks were enough to knock us out quickly and we had to retire by midnight. Decided to abandon our Halloween plans on Saturday due to the large hole in our wallets now but you bet we'll return. Next place, the subzero room in Eskibar!

And thank goodness for the Nightriders and the 'gahment's' new ban of smoking in these places. It really makes things alot more convenient. :)

start of school

School has been great since it started two weeks ago. Maybe it was the office attachment that made me really appreciate school more now, or that my bike gets me to school and home much quicker than before, or just the new modules that interest me. Whatever they may be, I'm enjoying every moment of school. But more importantly, I am thankful for the nice new teachers and friend's I've had this new semester, in class and out. Projects and common tests were a disaster last year. Hence I'm hoping to start the new sem right this time. Projects have taken a roll and my groupmates are looking geared up on them. That sure lessens my stress load on project work this sem. Everyone in class seem really competitive and hardworking, perhaps that will motivate me to do so too. :D

In any case, Paul and I have been hitting the gym and pool everyday for the past two weeks. Trying hard to burn off all the fats put in from the seven weeks of attachment. Boy, is it difficult! But I guess I'm getting quite used to it and having fun, nonetheless feeling much more energetic for taekwondo trainings and fitter than before! :)

old time friends

Meeting up with old time friends is something I always treasure and look forward to now that everyone is getting busy with each of our own activities and hardly have any time to just chill out and watch the world go by. I was thankful I could spend the weekend doing just that, and yet putting aside time for the family too.

Attended the family healing service at Novena Church on friday night. Though it was rather hot and stuffy, the service was indeed spiritually rejuvenating and reflective. Perfect for something I've been missing out for sometime. Saturday night was spent on dinner with the VIs, some of whom I've not met for months, no doubt was it a good time to catch up. Happy birthday to JJ and Shamsul! As though we were already not filled with food to our brim, Stephen, Joan and Jason decided on supper. Nicholas joined us with his bike, so we had a little bike exhibition down to our makan place with jason, joan and qi hui driving behind us, the bikers. What a fun time it was. ;P

The best part, we celebrated Enshao's birthday at Hooters on Sunday night. Soccer, food, hooter girls, though no drinks since some of us drove, but we had a great time.

Kevin's enjoying his holidays now that attachment is over. Probably searching for new places to try out his stunts on his new bike since he's got chased away by the police at his previous territory. hah! Austin finally laid hands on his xbox 360 and halo 3. ever since then, everything has been halo. Nicholas... well, riding his gal around to all the romantic places in Singapore. Enshao's getting fitter and machoer each day after all those serious canoeing training. And me... just trying to stay up with time.

Overall, everyone's doing well. (:

driving around

I never thought I would say this, but the post-attachment effects are beginning to hit me significantly. I find a day meaningless when there is no work to be done or accomplished. Somehow, someway, I would have to keep myself busy or occupied, if not the restlessness would just kick in.

In any case, I've been doing some driving and riding around since I've passed my driving test lately. Thank God for that, and congrats to Daniel Seow too! We both had the same test dates, and kept each other in prayers almost the whole time. Got a new bike too, the Piaggio mp3. Haha, its a three-wheeler and my parents were convinced of its added safety and stability features, so I had nothing to say. Had a couple of small accidents from both. Wacking the car into a pillar while parking and having the whole back badly smashed (ok, maybe thats not a small accident afterall), and skidding and falling off the bike on the wet slippery floor, both in the carparks. Sigh, its just this thing with car parks... Also, if you're riding a bike, you might wana be aware of and be cautious of the white/yellow painted markings on the roads (yellow box, arrows, dotted lines, etc). When it rains, these markings become extremely slippery and will cause us to lose control when at a high speed and/or banking angle. Got the infro from a forum and found it to be true myself after a few rides in wet weather.

The main roads can sometimes be a real pain in the ass. Especially with inconsiderate people who speed and get themselves into accidents which jam up the whole morning traffic causing everyone to be late for work. Or impatient taxi drivers who never fail to post a threat to motorcyclists. But generally I've encountered nice drivers too, who wave in return when you give way or just being courteous in their styles of road using, which surely makes a whole lot of difference to a pleasurable driving experience.

last week at the office

How fast it is that time flies. Before I could be settling down at the office, I am up again moving back to school for a new semester beginning two weeks time. Sheesh. Nonetheless the whole 6 weeks of internship has proved to be worthwhile. New experience and much valuable lessons were gained. More importantly I must thank everyone in the office for being so welcoming and patient towards me. Especially for all the awesome makan places at Katong that I've been brought to, whoo, I'll be back mann!